Those of us who need walking canes for help with balance when upright frequently find times when one must set the walking cane aside: when sitting at a table, having to search through a purse or pocket, when conducting business while standing at a counter and both hands are involved in taking care of business, using the lavatory, etc. What does one do with his/her walking cane at those times? Leaning the cane against a wall, table or chair usually results in the cane being knocked over resulting in an embarrassing clatter and safety hazard. Laying the cane on the floor is a potential safety hazard for tripping as well as acquiring disease producing germs and viruses. The walking cane can also be forgotten if not readily visible.
Thus, there is a need for an invention that is small, unobtrusive and portable which effortlessly attaches to the walking cane and easily and securely clamps to the edge of the table or counter, leg or back of a chair or any vertical, diagonal or horizontal projection up to five inches thick. The invention should be easily manipulated by a man, woman or child without causing injury, and should keep the walking cane firmly in position even if jostled, bumped or kicked. The invention should accommodate at least 95% of all walking canes available to disabled people.
The two commercially popular portable cane holders rely on a device, attached to the cane, which balances the cane on the tabletop using the cane's center of gravity:
1. A pointed cylinder which encircle the cane and balances on the edge of the table, relying on the cane's center-of-gravity.—Patent Des 418,286
2. A cantilevered ledge which balances on the edge of the table or applies pressure against the underside of the table. US2011/0017,901 A1, US2005/0035,251 A1
Neither method truly secures the cane to the table. Their use can result in an embarrassing clatter when the cane is easily knocked from its position by design or accident. If two devices are used on either side of the projecting surface the clamping result is only as strong as the user is able to squeeze the two devices together.Other devices which are meant to secure a walking cane do so by attaching to:1. Edge of a Table                A. by means of a C-clamp style fixture with an awkward thumb screw which is difficult to operate with an arthritic hand or fingers.        B. by means of a “Small plastic fitting, mounts on a cane to hold it on a table edge when not in use. It snaps onto the cane and slides up or down to contact the top or bottom of the table. Best when used in pairs to contact both the bottom and top of a table. Small rubber band (included) placed around the end hooks maintains a secure grip on the cane shaft.” From sales literature. Clamping pressure is what the user can physically achieve by manually squeezing the two plastic fittings together.        2. Leg of a table or chair—the angle and dimensions of the legs of chairs and tables vary tremendously and table legs are often set far back from the edge making their use as a securing post inconvenient or impossible because most walking canes are longer than table legs. If the device swivels on a table leg, the danger of tripping is increased.        3. User's body by means of a lanyard around the neck, a wrist band, a chain connected to an article of clothing, a spring loaded reel attached to the belt—in order to be able to retrieve a fallen cane without having to bend over and pick it up. These inventions do not prevent the cane from lying on the floor which poses safety and health hazards.        